In the end, what bonsai really comes down to is culture.

Master Pan Zhonglian's work "The Brushwork of Liu Songnian" (five-needle pine)

This work is a typical Zhejiang-style five-needle pine bonsai in the tall-trunk combined-planting style. It is shaped according to the layered, reclining brushwork of Liu Songnian's pine paintings. In the composition, the main trunk rises tall and upright, with curve hidden within straightness, and an slanting trunk set in between to seek variation; the arrangement of branches and foliage is gathered on the right and released on the left, carrying a slight sense of movement. The overall form is magnificent, tall and upright, and spectacular, giving people a grand sense of awe-inspiring integrity that cannot be violated. Its free and bold bearing and its lush, vigorous vitality also give one a sense of ceaseless self-strengthening and abundant life force. It inherits and carries forward the artistic style of Zhejiang bonsai, which excels in naturalness, expressive imagery, and the expression of individuality, and won first prize at the First China Bonsai Competition and Exhibition.

Title: Child of Nature

Tree species: five-needle pine

Specifications: 141 cm X 148 cm

Creator: Pan Zhonglian

Title: Rising Out of the Blue

Tree species: five-needle pine

Specifications: 61 cm X 150 cm

Creator: Pan Zhonglian

[Bonsai Masters' Talk]

Wuhan, Hubei @Zhang Xianjue:I always want to ask everyone, what do friends who are new to bonsai lack most? Don't say money.

Lacking bonsai teachers, lacking study materials, lacking...?

Pingdingshan, Henan @San Zhimin:Lacking clear-headed leaders, or rather guides. For reference only.

Suqian, Jiangsu @Li An:Lacking down-to-earth platforms and down-to-earth teachers.

Wuhan, Hubei @Li Shuaifei - Little Wolf:Lacking cultural roots and aesthetic guidance.

Nanyang, Henan @Fengxiangyuan Yang Jianwu: Lackingtechnical experience, aesthetic judgment, and a direction for later development! Right?

Wuhan, Hubei @Zhang Xianjue:It should be said that during the 10 years I have been doing bonsai, what I felt I needed most at the time was basic knowledge, so I went to study, learning landscaping. At the same time, I also felt I lacked practical experience, so I took Master He Gansun as my teacher to learn the craft. What I lack most now is a group of people with shared interests, to take bonsai to the utmost delight.

Wuhan, Hubei @Zhang Xianjue:Actually, bonsai is easier to get started with than any other art, but harder to elevate than any other art. That is the charm of bonsai.

Pingdingshan, Henan @San Zhimin:Bonsai lacks systematic theory, and the creative cycle is long. Without a mentor's guidance, it is very easy to take detours.

Wuhan, Hubei @Zhang Xianjue:I don't know whether everyone agrees with my view: in bonsai, in the end, what you compete on is culture, foundations, insight, perseverance, and creative ability.

Pingdingshan, Henan @San Zhimin:Competing on inner cultivation, competing on self-cultivation. A narrow view.

Wuhan, Hubei @Zhang Xianjue:Right, great virtue carries all things.

Pingdingshan, Henan @San Zhimin:Mr. Zhang Ting told us that art cannot be separated from the cornerstone of literature, history, and philosophy.

Wuhan, Hubei @Zhang Xianjue:Any bonsai master or elder who has gone far and risen high is without exception excellent in both virtue and art.

Xi'an, Shaanxi @Guan Mubin:Well said.

Sanming, Fujian @Li Rongguang:Doing bonsai has levels.

Wuhan, Hubei @Zhang Xianjue:Bonsai people should be kind-hearted and have a somewhat higher emotional intelligence.

Sanming, Fujian @Li Rongguang:The works of the elder Pan Zhonglian have great cultural taste; one can learn a lot from him.

Wuhan, Hubei @Zhang Xianjue:Opening Elder Pan's new book, the depth of that poetry collection is truly unprecedented.

Lijiang, Yunnan @Yiheyuan He Yonghua:Culture is the most basic, most profound, and most enduring force! I greatly admire and appreciate group owner Zhang Xianjue's understanding and grasp of Chinese bonsai!

Wuhan, Hubei @Zhang Xianjue:I've alerted Director He! ? Thank you for the encouragement; the praise is actually hard to live up to. In recent years I have run around a lot with accomplished people, and inevitably some thoughts have arisen or I have corrected some of my immature ideas. Now I am speaking frankly to discuss with everyone, striving for maturity.

[Bonsai People's Reflections]

Text | Xiamen, Fujian @Zhou Yingzhi

In conduct, one should be like water; in action, one should be like a mountain. There has never been anyone abandoned by fate in this world; there are only people whose hands and feet have been bound by fate. When life is prosperous, quietly listen to the brilliant movement of life! The failure and pain of many people come not from being unable to get out, but from being unable to come back. Only by knowing how to restrain unrealistic desires while continuously strengthening your little boat can life be leisurely and content.

Lei Tianzhou's Vitex bonsai work

Ode to Vitex

- Reflections on viewing Lei Tianzhou's Vitex bonsai work

Text | Mai Lufeng

Vitex, a small-leaved shrub, does not choose soil or water, growing on its own in mountain corners and remote edges, in barren mountains and harsh waters, clustering by the roadside. People and livestock do not spare it; mountain floods abandon its remains; it cannot be destroyed completely, and gradually it is despised and taken lightly. There are also idle, whimsical people who comment: Vitex is a natural masterpiece of great goodness and great beauty.

She is beautiful in softness, good at enduring, beneficial to the world, and does not contend for status. Though she lacks the majesty of pines and cypresses, the wealth of peonies, the elegance of plum blossoms and orchids, and the charm of jasmine. If planted in a pot and placed in a pavilion or high hall, she can display her elegance; if cut and woven into fences, she benefits farming, sericulture, and fields.

Flowers brew honey, seeds press oil, stalks become firewood: the leaf's flavor drives away evil, the whole body is a treasure, bowing and exerting itself to the utmost. Lamentable! Regrettable! I urge all beings to emulate her character; then the world and the human realm will be naturally greatly beautiful!

In the spring of 2018, seeing a potted small Vitex sprout with elegant posture, inspired to compose at Qiyuan

Bonsai friends@Tang HuaSelf-recommended bonsai as follows:

At home I have a 1-mu small ecological garden

[Bonsai People's Reflections]

Text | Xiamen, Fujian @Zhou Yingzhi

A sincere person will be liked wherever they go. Because they speak earnestly, act with care, and conduct themselves honestly. A kind heart can accompany anyone for the long haul. Because they understand empathy, tolerance, and respect. In this life, a good reputation is earned through affection and righteousness; good relationships are exchanged through genuine feeling and sincerity; good character is built over a lifetime! In conducting oneself, one must put sincerity first; in the heart, one must take kindness as the foundation!

Quanzhou, Fujian@Lin RongxuanSelf-recommended new works as follows:

Chinese hackberry

Small-leaved banyan

Lu'an, Anhui@Sai GardenSelf-recommended azalea bonsai as follows:

Highlights replay:

Chinese bonsai welcomes you!

Enjoyat any timethe bonsai exhibition hall

Promote bonsai culture, exchange bonsai skills!

Appreciate bonsai art, share a happy life!